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The Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever

Thank you to P&G for inspiring this post and helping me get my laundry situation under control.

When we are asked to do a post for Gain Flings at Target, I almost couldn’t do it – only because laundry is THE WORST and I HATE IT. But I took a minute to think about what would make me enjoy laundry just a little bit more. The creation of Gain Flings, which are convenient little pods stocked up with detergent, oxy boost, and febreeze all in one, that you can just toss in the wash (available at Target), is definitely a bonus, but it’s still laundry. I thought about what drives me the most crazy about laundry and it hit me. I use actual cloth towels in my kitchen. I cook A LOT, so I go through three or four of them a day. I never feel like walking to my bathroom to throw them in the hamper, so they always end up piled on top of the washing machine (which for me, is actually in my kitchen) looking extra gross. I decided I would take this opportunity to fix this little laundry situation. After all, little things go a long way, not just in laundry but in all parts of life.

So I purchased myself a lovely wire laundry basket, and set about making an easy-peasy laundry station. I wanted a place I could toss my kitchen laundry, but also store my Gain Flings and clothespins and other laundry necessities. I also wanted it to be a simple tutorial that anyone who is capable of basic sewing could whip up for themselves.

Behold, the Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever. This is a simple sewing project you can use to line any basket, with bonus pocket fun!
Click through to get the full tutorial for the Easiest Laundry Basket Liner DIY Ever, and to ALSO enter to win a $300 Target Gift Card!

How to make the Easiest DIY Basket Liner Ever

I got this amazing ship fabric at my favorite fabric store, Fabricworm. It appears to be sold out, but this one is very similar and so cute.

Measure your basket, the bottom, top, and each set of parallel sides.
For the bottom of your basket, and 1″ to each side measurement for seam allowances. For the each side of the basket, add 2″ total for the seam allowance along the bottom and the hem along the top. For my basket from West Elm, here are the measurements at which you should cut your fabric:
-Bottom: Cut 1 @ 19″ x 15″
-Longer sides: Cut 2 @ 19″ x 12″
-Shorter sides: Cut 2 @ 17″ x 12″

Cut fabric for the pocket. For my pocket, I cut two pieces for the back and two shorter pieces for the front of the pocket.
-For the back of the pocket: 2 @ 13″ x 8″
-For the front of the pocket: 2 A 13″ x 6″

Cut fabric for the pocket ties. You will need two ties, one for each corner, and 2 for the lid.
-For the ties: 2 @ 3″ X 16″

Lay the bottom piece (19″ x 15″) right side up. Lay one longer side piece (19″ x 12″) right side down on top, with 19″ edges aligned.

Sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Repeat with the other longer side piece on the opposite 19″ edge of your bottom section.
Sew in place.

Trim the seams with pinking shears and iron them open and flat.

When you open it up, it will look like this.

Lay one shorter side piece (17″ x 12″) right side down on top of the bottom section, with one 17″ edge aligned to the 15″ edge of your bottom piece.

Leave 3/4″ of the side piece overlapping on each side.

Turn the whole piece over so you can see your previous seam lines, then sew in place with 1/2″ seam allowance.

You will have some extra fabric on each side. That’s what you want.

When you open it up, it will look like this.

Repeat with the other long side piece on the opposite 15″ edge of your bottom section.

Now your piece looks like this.
Trim your seams with pinking shears and them open and flat.

Bring two 12″ sides together, right sides facing. You will see that they create a triangle of extra fabric when you align the 12″ sides.

This is what you want to see, you are going to sew them together at an angle, because the top of our basket is bigger than the bottom.

Sew together like so:

Trim the seam with pinking shears.
Repeat on the next corner. Repeat until all four corners have been sewn and trimmed. Iron the seams open.

Fold the top of your liner 1/2″ to the wrong side and iron. Fold another 1/2″ to the wrong side and iron again. Sew in place at the edge of the fold, all the way around, to create the top hem.

Now to sew the ties. Iron each 3″ x 16″ piece in half the long way, wrong sides facing, to find the center. Unfold and iron each edge into the middle like so (see the bottom tie in this image).

Fold the tie in half with the unfinished edges encase on the inside and iron again.

Sew the open edge of the tie closed.

Sew the other edge of the tie to create symmetry.

Fold each tie in half and sew a straight stitch across the fold.

Now to sew the pocket. Take one of your larger (13″ x 9″) pieces of fabric and lay it right side up. Pin the folded, sewn edge of your tie to the edge of the fabric, evenly spaced from each edge of the pocket. Lay the other 13″ x 9″ piece of fabric right side down on top. Sew in place all the way around the edges with a 1/2″ seam allowance, leaving a hole for turning, back stitching at the beginning and end. Clip each corner.

Turn the piece right side out, push out neat corners and iron flat. Iron the hole seam flat.

Lay the smaller pocket pieces (13″ x 6″) right sides facing. Sew in place all the way around the edges with a 1/2″ seam allowance, leaving a hole for turning, back stitching at the beginning and end.

Turn the piece right side out, push out neat corners and iron flat. Iron the hole seam flat.

Lay the smaller pocket piece on top of the larger pocket piece and pin if desired (I am usually too lazy to pin).

Sew in place at the edge with a straight stitch around three sides of the smaller piece to create a pocket. Do another line of stitching 1/4″ inside the first to strengthen the pocket. Select where you want your pocket to divide and sew two more lines of stitching parallel to the edge of the pocket.

Tie the ends of each tie into a tight knot and trim the edges.

22. Place your liner into your basket, and tie your pocket onto the side. Stuff with Gain Flings and other laundry essentials. The wire siding of this basket is perfect for storing clothespins.

It’s a little thing that makes life so much easier!

If you could use a $300 Target Gift Card, leave a comment below to enter to win the “Little Bit Goes a Long Way” Sweepstakes. Just leave a comment answering this question: What little things do you do that go a long way?

Attribution Statement
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we have a weekly board in the kitchen and each kid whenever a dinner, lunch, snack, or breakfast idea comes to mind they right it down under each category for the next week, then we all sit down as a family and vote on meals and the I prepare some of them ahead of time, and such. That way everyone is included and getting something they want. Its a great idea for large households. And saves time so your not scrambling for a meal or running out to get something to eat or for an ingredient at the store.

I use half to a quarter of the recommended amount of liquid detergent in my laundry.
My clothes are just as clean and I can stretch that container of detergent. There are six of us and we go through a Big dispenser of detergent every four to five months. The 116 load dispenser can go 150 loads or better. :0)
We also hang to dry everything we can – T-shirts mostly. The jeans get dryer time.

Each day I try to take 15 minutes to clean out a drawer, closet shelf, end table or some area to reduce the things we don’t need. When I pull out a drawer later I feel good knowing I have some sort of organization in my life! I also reuse all packing material that comes into our business for when I ship back out! Hate to fill landfills.